Friday, July 29, 2016

The complete uselessness of urban freeways


Thursday, July 28, 2016


Wednesday, July 27, 2016

From CTV News Vancouver Island —
Victoria area Mayors say now's the
time for South Island commuter rail

With construction on the McKenzie Interchange scheduled to begin in a few months, four south island mayors have come up with a new solution to ease congestion that is expected to follow suit.   Mayors of View Royal, Esquimalt, Victoria and Langford have penned a letter to the Island Corridor Foundation asking about the feasibility of a rail line. “I think definitely we need to start using that corridor, it’s there, it’s bought and paid for by the public and it’s a great opportunity for the region,” said David Screech, View Royal mayor. Read more: Could a restored rail line solve the ‘Colwood crawl’? | CTV Vancouver Island News

The McKenzie Interchange is part of a $107m investment in induced demand creating future congestion, environmental social and economic damage on Vancouver Island. Meanwhile a publicly owned rail line thru these Victoria suburban communities sits idle. Background — Victoria Times Colonist, July 2015: $85-million McKenzie interchange project expected to start late 2016


Tuesday, July 26, 2016

From Strong Towns —
The shopping mall death spiral

As an indicator species in this great auto-oriented paradigm we've created, the shopping mall is in what one industry insider calls, "a death spiral." This dinosaur of another age is finding it hard to exist amid an ecosystem that has more nimble, adaptable competition. Read more: The Shopping Mall Death Spiral — Strong Towns

Thursday, July 21, 2016

From Architizer — 9 Cities That
Are Hacking Their Urban Waterfronts

Many of the world’s greatest cities can trace their historical growth back to one simple and often overlooked geographical aspect: proximity to water. Whether it is the open ocean or a wide, meandering river, countless early cities came to be due to accessibility by ship and the subsequent economic influx that allowed them to flourish into regional or even global powerhouses of trade, commerce, and industry.
In the wake of globalization and post-industrialization, many once-buzzing urban ports and waterfronts have fallen into disuse and disrepair. As cities around the world become increasingly environmentally conscious, and shift their planning to be more people-focused, designers are honing in on waterfronts more than ever, with facelifts in the form of parks, plazas, or even commercial development. Read more: 9 Cities That Are Hacking Their Urban Waterfronts - Architizer

Sunday, July 17, 2016